Posts Tagged ‘Holiday’

If you have been following me on Instagram, you would have seen me spamming a lot of Batam pictures on Instastories. Yes, I spent a grand total of 4 days in Batam! It was my first time in Batam and it was great. Truth be told, I have been wanting to go to Batam for the longest time. However most people have already been to Batam at least once so it was difficult to find an enthusiastic partner. So I was really happy when I was contacted by HARRIS Hotels to check out two of their properties : HARRIS Resort Waterfront Batam and HARRIS Hotel Batam Center. (Promo code available right at the end of the post!)

Finally starting on my UK posts. If you didn’t already know, I’ve just returned from my epic trip to the UK. Epic not just because of the duration and places covered (more on that in subsequent posts), but also the fact that I travelled together with my parents and the toddler, without my husband! The last time I did a road trip together with my parents was a decade ago! We were all fearing that we might throttle each other’s throats by the end of the trip, now that we are older and fussier. The husband did actually join us for half the trip, but he had to return to Singapore first.

Anyway, more on the epic trip itself later. For this post, I wanted to talk about our lovely dim sum lunch at Royal China Baker Street, on our first day in London. If Royal China sounds familiar to you, that’s because there used to be a Royal China at the world famous Raffles Hotel in Singapore. It closed a year or so ago to facilitate the refurbishment of the entire Raffles Hotel. It doesn’t seem to be in the line-up of restaurants opening at the soon to be opened Raffles Hotel, which is a real pity because Royal China was one of my favourite places to go for dim sum.

So I was really happy to have the opportunity to check out Royal China in London. There are actually several branches, each with a slightly different menu. We chose to visit the flagship one at Baker Street because of the extensive dim sum menu, although we would also have loved to check out the Canary Wharf branch with supposedly one of the best views for a Chinese restaurant in London.

Parents with young children often wonder if a country or city that they’re travelling to is baby or toddler-friendly. Just check the mommy forums online and you will know that this is a perennial question. And rightly so too. I mean if your baby or toddler is already a handful in Singapore, the last thing you want is to be unprepared and ill-equipped in a foreign location. It’s very easy for bystanders to say “go with the flow, it’s a holiday!”, but if it’s an issue that you have to face every single day of your trip, it will take its toll.

We just returned from Melbourne last week. Prior to visiting, I had been told that Melbourne is pretty baby-friendly. My biggest concern before going was how to let Baby nap comfortably, and whether the streets would be stroller-friendly. I wasn’t too concerned food-wise because Baby loves his food, and also Melbourne seems clean enough. On the whole, we had a pretty good 10 day holiday in Melbourne, yes 10 days entirely in Melbourne city.

Is Melbourne baby / toddler-friendly? Here’s what I found out.

1. Baby food is super affordable in Melbourne!

So cheap! $1.50 for Rafferty’s Garden, $1.65 for Macro’s Organic and $2 for Bellamy’s!!

The December school holidays are about to be upon us and one of Singaporeans’ favourite countries to visit during this time of the year is New Zealand! It being in the Southern Hemisphere means that you get to enjoy a nice temperature and long daylight hours. I have been told that New Zealand’s climate is mild, so you won’t run into scorching hot summer temperatures, or at least not for long stretches anyway. And if you’re like me, it just feels more holiday-like if it’s cooler than Singapore!

Most tourists will want to spend some time in Auckland, it being the most populated city in New Zealand and where 1/3 of New Zealanders live. However, if you’re short on time and want to know what best to visit in Auckland, here are my top 7 picks, each of which can be covered in half a day or less, including travelling time there and back.

1. Have afternoon tea out on the jetty at the Hilton’s Bellini Bar

Hotel pictures from Hilton Auckland, Iced Chocolate my own

In my opinion, this is one of the best places to be to get a good view of the Auckland harbour without actually being out at sea. The Hilton is styled in a nautical theme, and set 300 m out to sea. They even have an outdoor lap pool with an underwater view window of the harbour, the only underwater viewing point in Auckland. Check out the Bellini Bar for a quick drink (the iced-chocolate is really good!) or indulge a little with their High Tea sets.

Hello people! If you’re wondering why I haven’t been posting this week, it’s because I’m now currently holidaying in Melbourne! For more current updates, you can follow me on Instagram or Facebook. Meanwhile, here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure!